• AS EMPLOYEES ACCUSTOMED TO REMOTE WORK ARE NOW BEING CALLED BACK to office policies & controls, risk of worker ‘Burnout’ is increased, driven by their energy depletion, exhaustion, negativity and cynicism, all contributing to Chronic Unmanaged Stress aka Burnout. The leading causes, and some steps which Employers can take to minimize this impact are: (1) Avoid assigning unsustainable workload & responsibilities; (2) Support flexible work schedules with timely days off; (3) Offer coaching to increase their internal sense of control; (4) Make recognition of their work a priority; (5) Ensure realistic compensation systems proportionate to their work contribution versus age; (6) Solicit employee comments & suggestions then provide feedback. “Too often, self-care is touted as the cure for burnout, and well-being is a good start, but burnout requires more than yoga, meditation, apps and gym memberships. What matters to most individuals in their work are Values consistent with the organizations. Encouraging open & honest conversations to identify what is missing or detracting from an employee’s ability to find meaning in their work, like projects that get them excited and engaged which can be a major remedy.”  [SMARTBRIEF]
  • ALSO, AS BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS CONTINUE TO GROW IN COMPLEXITY AND CONFUSION, MANY EXPERIENCE ANXIETY to some degree – essentially feeling an “emotional state of nervous apprehension that often triggers negativity or worrisome thoughts or ‘fight-or-flight’ response, and physical jitters which can include racing heart, sweaty palms, dizziness, shakiness, stomach churn, or nausea.” Usually focused on an upcoming event or challenge, especially when related to social or business situations, those who prefer to spend a lot of time quietly thinking through responses/ reactions/ decisions often develop anxiety when pressed by time constraints or by mannerisms of extroverts (like bosses). A few coping strategies which may help diminish anxiety are: (1) Trying to perceive the challenge as “excitement or eagerness changing the whole experience; (2) Embracing a ‘face your fear’ approach and forcing risk of rejection; (3) Definitely avoiding alcohol, which suppresses the prefrontal cortex in socially anxious people… While every interaction is ultimately a balancing act between potential for reward and risk of rejection, know that workings of the human brain are rational and needn’t be perceived as a phobia.”   [BBC SCIENCE FOCUS]
  •  WHILE 2025 IS ALREADY EVIDENCING MANY CHALLENGES TO COME, SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THE EVEN BIGGER PICTURE OF WHAT’S AHEAD:  “The next industrial revolution is evolving at an exponential rather than a linear pace.  The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity and access to knowledge, are unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing. Governments will gain new technological powers to increase their control over populations, based on pervasive surveillance systems and the ability to control digital infrastructure.  …We would be wise to remember that a society’s primary organizing principle is its monopoly on force, its ability to control its populace and export violence in the form of war. The day may come when autonomously controlled surface, subsurface, and aerial vehicles powered by sentient quantum computers make the decisions and fight our wars – when the very combatants themselves are a fusion of artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, advanced robotics, bio & nanotechnologies.”  [JACK CARR, RED SKY MOURNING]
  • BUT MEANWHILE, ‘TIME’ IS ONLY PERCEIVED BY OUR BRAINS TO THE EXTENT THAT IT IS FILLED IN SOME WAY.” Our circadian rhythm cycle roughly tracks bodily functions every 24-hour period, correlating to the earth’s rotation, in a relatively consistent manner: blood pressure peaking around noon, physical coordination cresting mid-afternoon, muscles strongest around 5:pm, and cataclysms of human error during night shifts… with long-distance travel disrupting not only sleep but metabolism, so that jet-lagged bodies recover at a rate of about one time zone per day… Most people complain that Time seems to speed up as they get older – in part because they feel more pressed for it. Time matters precisely because it ends.”  [ECONOMIST]

THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:

  • Driverless taxi services are posed to dominate ride-hailing in major U.S. cities this year: Waymo in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin, Miami and Atlanta, along with Zoox in Las Vegas.
  • According to the EPA, greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. are emitted roughly 30% each from the Transportation, Industrial, and Commercial/ Real Estate sector heating & cooling sectors. Nearly 1 billion people are energy poor and don’t have electricity, according to the International Energy Agency, rendering the remaining 7 billion people around the world complicit in one form or other of burning fossil fuels and producing green-house emissions. [THE CHARLATAN]

Only if you care: About the 2020 election:  https://townhall.com/columnists/wayneallynroot/2021/05/09/heres-how-you-know-democrats-rigged-and-stole-the-2020-election-n2589148?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl&newsletterad=05/09/2021&bcid=5afae4ed7c3b4806b6f9059dd295c70f&recip=28965474